Stevie Kim meets Fabio Zenato at Le Morette winery.

Today's journey takes us to Peschiera del Garda, at the winery “Le Morette”: founded sixty years ago by Gino Zenato, it is now managed by his son Valerio and grandchildren Fabio and Paola, the third generation working in this production hub in the province of Verona.

Before we start tasting the wines from your cellar, would you like to tell us about the place we are in?

We are within the production area of Lugana DOC, specifically in the San Benedetto di Lugana district: this area gets its name from the presence of the Benedictine monks from San Zeno, who reclaimed the land and made it suitable for the growth of vine cuttings. “Le Morette” actually started as a nursery for vines, which were – and still are – selected and grown here: this process creates a bond of trust between the company and the customers, who wait up to three years before seeing the first grapes.

On the table in front of us, we see three different wines: Lugana Mandolara, Benedictus, and Lugana Riserva DOC. Where should we start our tasting?

The first wine we will taste will be the Lugana Mandolara from the 2021 vintage, which received a score of 92/100 from the International Vinitaly Guide. We actually consider it our flagship wine, a very solid base for our tastings: the vines from which it comes grow in clay soil and are all over twenty years old, which contributes to giving the wine a savory flavor and an interesting taste.

As for the moments to enjoy a glass of Mandolara, I would say that its nature fits well for both the ritual of aperitif and for pairing with food.

The second wine waiting for us is Benedictus. Can you also tell us about this cru?

Benedictus is a wine with a pronounced minerality, obtained from late-harvest grapes and is best enjoyed in food pairing, such as with a mushroom risotto or a fish-based second course. We produce significantly less of this compared to Mandolara, also because the vines are even older – they are 46 years old. There are four weeks of difference between the harvest of Mandolara and that of Benedictus, the difference between the two wines is very marked also due to this factor related to the ripening of the grapes. If you notice, even the color of the wine changes: it becomes more golden.

An important role in the flavor is also played by the aging on yeast at controlled temperature and by the maturation of a portion of the wine in tonneaux [double French barriques, ed. note]. The first vintages of this wine were produced between 1993 and 1994, a testament to a long-standing tradition in the production of Morette. This wine remains a minimum of 9 months in the bottle before being released on the market, and has a price difference of about 5€/0.75L.

The last wine we are going to know is finally the Riserva from 2018. How would you define it?

More than a wine, in this case, it is a project. It is a limited quantity type and its existence is based on the aging potential of Lugana: the regulations state that to obtain the “Riserva” designation, this wine must be released on the market two years after the last harvest, but all producers of this type of excellence wait a third year before commercialization.

Its characteristics are complexity, richness, elegance, and the ability to offer the palate all the potential of the Turbiana grapes from which it is derived. It is a slightly more alcoholic wine, with an alcohol content of 13.5%, and also has a higher acidity.

To conclude the tasting beautifully and to demonstrate the aging potential of this wine, we also open a bottle of Riserva from 2013: we close today’s episode with a new chin chin to Fabio and Le Morette, which we invite you to visit when passing through Peschiera del Garda.

(Hey, psst: did you know that Fabio was a student of the Professor? In this episode of our podcast Stevie Kim speaks with Attilio Scienza and Vittorio Moretti: follow the link to catch it!)

Stevie Kim